Gotham
by vvrules21
Summary: Nick and Ellis take a romantic trip to Gotham City. Gotham holds some terrifying surprises for the couple. Can Nick protect Ellis or maybe he would have to rely on a certain Knight. NELLIS SLASH! language and MalexMale kissing. Joker, Batman, Scarecrow, and Alfred all belong to DC. Rochelle, Nick, and Ellis all belong to Valve.


"Nick, Gotham is not like Las Vegas or New York. I m being serious when I say don't be an uptight prick to anyone!" Rochelle's concerned voice fuzzed out through the speaker of the phone.

Nick rolled his eyes, and mocked Rochelle's' nattering with his hand, making Ellis smile and give him a playful shove.

"Yeah sure whatever sweetheart." They walked down the high-class citizen covered street, both feeling out of place with inquiring faces and casual attire.

They had only just reached Gotham city, soon after unpacking their things and breaking in their hotel bed, they were out on the street avoiding tourist spots, instead heading straight to a casino.

It was Ellis' idea to come up north this way, the boy blabbering non stop about seeing Batman or Bruce Wayne and if he was lucky, he would maybe run into Bane. He was strangely interested in that particular villain, his massive mountainous muscles were an eye-catching feature, but it still unnerved Nick.

He turned his head while Rochelle's now rapidly shrill voice chattered off in his right ear. Ellis could not have looked more beautiful; well he always looked this beautiful. His eyes were sparkling off of the sunrays along with curiosity sprinkling in the blue planes. The buildings they passed reflected the young man's image, his godly body being mirrored everywhere they passed. The tight black shirt was leaving little to the imagination of what hid underneath, sadly his jeans failed to do so, except around the back.

He looked at the side of Ellis' rump in the window of a passing shop. Yup his ass still stood out nicely even in jeans. Nick was not intimidated by how Ellis looked, but he would be lying if he had said he wasn't insecure about the way his navy blue dress shirt and black slacks made him look.

Nick noticed random civilian's heads turning to look at Ellis and all his gorgeous body. Their eyes widening and immediately turning to their company with huge grin on their faces. He smirked to himself, feeling very smug that it was he who owned this dazzling boy. Nick wrapped his arm around the kid's shoulder in a boasting fashion.

Ellis' head rested gently on his shoulder for a second, then he lifted it up again and the adorable curiosity was shimmering in his eyes again. Nick saw the obvious jealousy molding on the passer byers. Some woman and even some men.

Hell if it didn't feel good to brag.

"Nick? Nick? Are you lis-"

His arm untangled itself from Ellis' shoulders and swung back down to his hip. "Huh? Oh yeah. Uh, what were you saying?" Nick moved his eyes onto the tall buildings and racing cars so he wouldn't get too distracted by the handsome hick next to him.

He heard Rochelle sigh on the other line dramatically. "Please for Ellis' sake try to keep calm in that city. The whole place is crawling with sickos and mob dealers. You and I don't want anything happening to him because you flipped the bird to someone as powerful as Maroni, so please, please be careful." She had a softer less demanding tone. She was trying to ask Nick instead of tell him what to do. She knew how the man reacted when being directed by someone else…who wasn't Ellis of course. Even then it happened on rare occasions.

He looked at Ellis then back ahead toward the bright lights of the upcoming casino. He made an effort to keep his voice low, the growl in his tone would give Ro her messege. "Okay. Okay I promise I wont do anything…'me' like." Nick said tersely before hanging up with out a good bye. He let out a breathy scoff thinking about Rochelle's accusation.

"What did Ro say?" Ellis timidly began to reach for Nick's hand. He stopped when he saw the firm and aggravated face that had graced his boyfriend's face. He wanted to show some amount of public affection, but that would only mean that the gambler would be in a more irritated mood.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Nick may have intended that to come out more gently, he reminded himself that it didn't matter as long as he got his point across. He made sure not to look in Ellis' direction to see the fallen sparks of joy.

"Okay." He complied looking downcast to his feet, not enjoying the deafening silence between the two.

"Welcome to Gotham Gambles!" A perky blonde with puffed out cheeks greeted too bubbly for Nick's taste. Instead of following his boyfriend's response with a respectable hello, he just grunted and shot her an annoyed look.

Ellis knew Nick was still upset over something that had gone between him and Ro. Yet he had no control in the situation. He usually never did when it came to Nick.

"So which one ah these games did ya wan' ta play?" He presented the older male with a smile, gifting it with as much elation as he could bear. It held no avail to even lifting the gambler's lips even a centimeter.

Nick opened his mouth to suggest a card game, when a hoard of rushing people pushed past he two of them to race toward the entrance they had just entered. Both of them turned to look toward the door to see why all the commotion.

In front of the glass door was a perfect statue of a man. Broad in shoulders and in chest, his arms were two gigantic appendages of muscle, and his black hair was slicked back almost like Nick's. The cameras flashing in his face made his tan skin unnaturally pale, yet reflecting and clear.

Ellis' jaw was hanging on its hinges when he had realized who the bulky man was. Bruce Wayne.

Again that blue twinkle that just illuminated his whole face was back and God if it didn't make Ellis look even more irresistible.

Nick arched a brow at the playboy only ten feet away from them. He looked at Ellis then to Bruce. Then back again.

Mr. Wayne was no competition compared to Ellis, not at all. The fact made Nick's mood lighten increasingly, knowing that he was dating someone who was better looking than Bruce Wayne himself. Childishly he was filled with pride and his ego growing with every stroke.

"N-nick its Bruce Wayne! Aw hell man! We actually get ta see Bruce fuckin' Wayne!" Ellis couldn't believe that the richest man on the east coast was actually standing so close to him.

They heard the playboy utter something to the crowd of insatiable people and they all dispersed back to their tables, sneaking looks back to the man.

Nick honestly could not care less. He held no precedence in his life so why should he even feel the need to gawk over the man like some famished hawk. He was way above such timewasting things like that.

"Come on. Lets get to the tables." Nick took hold of Ellis' elbow and trailed them together to the nearest Poker table with three seats free. The dealer was a young man just around the age of Ellis, maybe older by a few years.

"Hello sirs, please take a seat." Nick thanked God that he wasn't too cheerful like the bimbo that greeted them.

They sat down on the red velvet stools. Ellis had an eager look that beamed through his smile while Nick was more calm, his face relaxed and expressionless. It was good practice before he had to pull out his real poker face.

The dealer pulled out the cards and with the sound of the thick paper gliding off of the deck was the only noise at the table, the other opponents waiting as well as assessing or smiling amusingly at the new comers.

As if the timing was synched, the second that card was slapped in front of Nick a loud booming ratting of bullets pierced through the air around them. The shouting voices of large men filing through the door were accompanied with more bullets.

Nick jumped out of seat his hand already prepared with Ellis' bicep in its grasp. He pulled them to the floor painfully. Nick's hands were braced on each side of Ellis' head, his back hunched over his boyfriend's midriff protectively. Three large men in brown shirts and cargo pants came around the table holding AK 47s.

They caught Nick hovering over Ellis' shaking body and moved in close. One of them brought the butt of the gun to Nick's side, forcibly shoving him to the ground next to the hick.

Ellis opened his mouth to ask if Nick was alright, sitting up to help his lover, but instead a strangled yelp was forced out as his temple was struck with the same butt of the same gun by the same goon.

He fell onto his elbows, facing the floor as his breath came out in painful and adrenalin-ridden pants. He could feel his fight or flight response kicking in to control his decisions. He pushed it away with a cringing amount of will and pulled himself to his knees.

Nick had just recovered instead gripping his ribs, which were coursing a blinding amount of pain to his chest. He hadn't registered Ellis getting hurt yet.

He could feel the calloused fingertips of El helping him up to sit normally. His knee was pulled up and his other leg was stretched out, he rested his forearm on his knee, finally tasting the lack of anxiety that had just been enforced into his gut. It only lasted so long until he saw another one of the men approach them.

He pointed the end of the gun at Ellis. Nick could feel the ends of his hairs stick up all around his body along with the sudden drop of temperature in his face. He couldn't predict what would happen, focusing on the tensing of the man's trigger finger he could only guess.

"Go stand against that wall." The gruff man tipped his head to the back wall where some of their opponents were leaning. Nick nodded instantaneously and reached for Ellis' hand, dragging the two up to their feet and moving to the wall. Normally he wouldn't be so compliant. Under any other circumstance he would have lunged at the guy and tried his luck at grabbing the gun. He would only do something so outrageously stupid if Ellis wasn't here.

Ellis watched the other people move to the wall across them by looking beneath the tables and between the slot machines. He could make out Bruce Wayne's face directly, the man looked oddly calm about this. He stared at the playboy for a few lasting moments then another voice involuntarily made him to pay attention.

"Good afternoon. I am terribly sorry to be dropping by so fast, but I have run into some financial trouble and well…you all are my bank for the day." The owner of the bitter voice swaggered through the entrance holding a black rectangle in his hand.

He had a burlap mask on, poorly stitched and stained with splotches of blood. The mouth had needles covering the opening and the whole outfit was completed with a business like suit and a symbolic noose around his neck.

Ellis felt one of the goons trudging toward them, his army boots dragging across the golden carpet. He stopped in front of Ellis, knelt down and shoved a metallic box into his hands. He smiled at Ellis, which only caused his quick paced heart beat jump even more.

His hand shook with the metal box in it, embarrassedly he was quivering violently. Nick held his breath when he saw the box. His eyes were glued to the device, more dread causing him to pale even more.

"N-n-nick." Ellis had no idea what to say or look at. He had no clue what was going to happen if he looked away from the device in his hand as if his eyes were the trigger to cause what he guessed would be an explosion.

"El, stay calm. We'll be fine, just stay calm. Its okay. Its okay." He whispered in his ear letting the tip of his nose skim over his cheek to sooth him from the tremors running down his curled up form.

Their blood turned cold when an unsettling laugh diffused in the room. The laugh was cued to prove Nick's comforting words wrong.

Ellis felt queasy and his mind span around his head, doing dizzying 360s over and over. The cool metal that his fingers touched was beginning to become too much for his senses to take. He was being overwhelmed.

His own cerulean eyes started to roam almost nauseously around the room…they caught onto two dark pupils surrounded by an equally as dark brown. Bruce Wayne was looking directly at him.

He mouthed something to him. Bruce was too far away for Ellis to make it out though. He turned his head around him to see if the man was talking to someone else, Nick apparently seeing the exact thing he was, but no one was looking toward the playboy.

He turned back and mouthed 'what?' to Bruce. Again the bulky man mouthed the word slowly.

Nick saw it.

Saw exactly what he was planning. The guards were walking down the rows of people, guns stiffly aimed at their feet, and Bruce had a good chance to tackle him once he passes especially with his vast size.

However the sudden envelopment of brown and black had invaded his vision. The masked man had moved from the entrance and was now walking along the couple's row, waiting for the rest of his goons to get the money. No way he would be able to take out the guards with this asshat stalking them.

They needed a distraction.

Nick took in a deep breath, not letting himself think of a conversation starter, just going to jump right into it. No holding back. Just say one word and then they would be free. It was a large risk and right now they held no Aces up their sleeves, but this one.

The masked man was so close to turning and breaking that small window they had for their chance of escape.

"Howdy! Uh, Over here mister!" Ellis' optimistic tone broke into Nick's head like a sledgehammer breaking a glass trinket into five thousand little pieces. He never thought a day would come where he would actually hate hearing the lovable boy's voice.

Nick elbowed Ellis right into his arm, he let out an 'oomph', but didn't turn away from the masked man. Who was delightfully giving El a look that made his insides do summersaults.  
Nick fastened his hand to Ellis' bicep again and squeezed tightly. He kept his eyes alerted and on the slowly creeping man. He didn't give himself in to the panic rising to his heart. He needed to be aware of everything right now for it was too late to take back Ellis' attention catching intonation.

Two coldly blue eyes bored into Ellis' warm ones. One of the closest guards had their gun pointed on the southerner's bruising temple in seconds. Nick's hand tautened fearfully.

Then the man in burlap raised his hand at the guard, motioning him to settle it away.

Nick could see a sneering, but hidden, smile on the man's face. "I'm curious as to know why you would speak to someone who is holding your life by a thread, let alone put on this jolly face for them." The burlap-covered man's voice had a factual tone to it. It sounded like he was giving a diagnosis for something.

El kept the temporized act up. "Well ah was jus' wondern' what this here contraption thingy is for," He turned the box in his hand, "Like will ah blow up or sumthin' like that? Man, that reminds me ah this one time my buddy Keith had jus' gotten' ah new engine for his truck an' he told me that he wanted me to fix 'er up cuz she was havin' some leakin' problems or sumthin'. Anyway so he tol' me that he was gunna show me where it is usin' a lighter, cuz we had no flashlights, an' now ah tol' him that it might not be a good ideah, but he didn' listen! An' just as he open'd the hood an' lit-"

The masked man's same cursed laugh cut his story off. The loud and brusque of mocking spite made him to stop. Nick rubbed the edges of his teeth to create a gritty noise and feel.

"You are one interesting child," Ellis pouted at the insult, "…for someone from a backwoods idiotic and despicable state filled with equally if not despicable people, like Georgia." He looked down at Ellis and Nick picking the dirt from his nails, the sneer still in his voice.

Ellis' smile vacillated into a confused frown. "Howdg'ya know that?"

The man's voice grew into a dark pitch. "I was raised there, I know that accent anywhere."

Nick took his eyes desperately to Bruce's. The billionaire was currently crouching to lunge silently at the passing guard; hopefully he put that money to some good self-defense classes.

"Well, Ah was born n' raised in Savannah! The people there are mighty kind, not de-spi-cable like yah put it. But'chya still hadn' tol' me what this thingy does." Ellis had a foundation for a conversation that might come to some use, all he had to do was keep it steady.

The face underneath the burlap chuckled. "You don't know who I am do you?" The blank face was answer enough. "I am Scarecrow, God of fear. And what you are holding child, is a new device that an ally of mine had come up with. I just press this button," He pulled out the remote from the inside of his pocket that Ellis had noticed from earlier and lightly tapped the red switch, " and that small box explodes and it'll snow my fresh batch of Fear Powder." The look of horror on the other guests had caused him to double over in manic laughs. He was laughing as much as Joker.

Ellis was still confused, and during the whole 'evil laugh' moment, he snuck a peak toward the other side. Bruce had successfully apprehended the two guards and was now filing the hostages out through the exit near the slot machines.

Nick noticed that maybe…

Maybe he could actually grab the remote. It would be very difficult, but not impossible. He just needed to wait until Scarecrow placed it back and then he would be able to dive in.

"So tell me child," Finally he lifted his coat and gently dumped the remote into the pocket and lent down close to Ellis, "…what are you afraid of?"

Nick's leg thrusted out in a flash and struck the man in the side of his face. He flew down with his mask buried in his face, reeling back from the shock he pushed himself up on his hands ready to gas the gambler with his hidden toxin cans.

Ellis jumped up to his feet and before the goon could point his gun at Nick he used the metal box to bludgeon the man's skull. The box broke into pieces of metal shards, a small, but substantial, amount of white powder covering Ellis' hands and making a dust cloud near his face.

He pulled in a surprised gasp, inhaling the toxin with it. The bitter taste stung his throat like a searing fire. His throat gagged on the powder that stuck stubbornly at the back of his throat, swallowing clumps of saliva to get it out. Then he fell to his knees with a hard thud. His vision was doing something it had never done before. His whole world was changing and suddenly he was in a storming field. The wind's wailing did nothing to cover his own.

Scarecrow almost pulled himself together, already drawing out the plan to spray his attacker. If he predicted correctly then the man would be back on him to grab the remote, and to his advantage not knowing about his hidden cans.

But instead a gargantuan figure was pinning his arms to the floor along with his body. He was immobile.

Nick watched as Bruce wrestled with Scarecrow, keeping his wrists away from his face during the whole tussle. The men and woman around him were anxiously moving to the doors as fast as they could. Some screamed, but there was one scream that pierced the air around him causing all the oxygen in his lungs escape.

Ellis kneeled over the floor screaming till his throat was stretched furiously. His hands was grasping at a lucid figure in front of him. Sobs interrupted his shrieking. Tears poured to the floor like the hallucinated rain around him.

Nick sprinted as fast as he could and kneeled close to the hysteric boy. His own heart was pounding as fast as thoughts were moving. "Ellis? El? ELLIS?" He cupped the boy's cheeks desperately looking into his eyes for any sign of acknowledgement.

There was an unfamiliar voice ordering him to do something behind him, but it was hard to make out over the sound of El's screeching.

He turned to see a middle aged man with and glasses looking at him with thoughtful and demanding eyes. He was wearing a police uniform and holding a syringe in one hand and Nick's shoulder in another.

"You're going to have to step back." The older man said. Nick nodded stiffly, his eyebrows furrowed in anger and fury, but his eyes flashed with despair.

The man moved in front of Ellis, he placed the thin needle right where the boy's pulse point is on his neck. His blue plates moved urgently on the ground, forcing himself to stare directly at what horrible image the drug was making him see. If it had Ellis this horrified then he'd rather not know what it was. Ever.

Once the policeman had injected the clear fluid into his blood stream, incredibly so, El's eyes alleviated and the rapid hyperventilating breaths were now smooth and slow juddering inhales and exhales.

The rain slowed until it finally disappeared. The howling wind was only a soft breeze of air. The field had altered into golden carpet. And nick's bloodied body was gone.

In its place, the real Nick was standing above him looking down at him with worried twitches in his tightened face.

He fell forward looking like he was about to retch up his stomach. He gagged up the excess foul tasting powder in driblets of saliva onto the floor. His body was shaking even more than earlier, it was convulsing with every movement.

Nick also slumped down to his knees and brought his boyfriend into an endearing hug to comfort his shuddering body. He let out a loud sigh of relief when he felt the southerner dig his face into his neck and tie his arms around Nick's back.

"Your okay El. I'm okay. We're okay." He silently cursed that evil freak that came up with the poison. He was going to kill that Scarecrow fucker. His mind was hazed with only the boy's screaming; it haunted his thoughts and plagued his mind.

He could feel someone trying to wedge in between the two trying to separate them. "No!" Nick shouted, his eyes still clamped together, frantically holding onto El. His mind was still echoing Ellis' scream of pure and excruciating agony.

The feel of his arms being forcefully unraveled drove him to his limit. "Fuck off!" Irrevocably he opened his eyes, the policemen around them giving him sympathetic looks. Apparently they had been speaking to Nick, asking him to let go so they could properly take a look at Ellis.

He had only then realized that he was constricted around the southerner and hurting him only more. The thing that was trying to wedge them apart was Ellis' own arms. He was suffocating the smaller of the two.

They helped both of them to the medics waiting outside. The EMT's helped El get rid of the excess toxin, while policemen interrogated some of the other hostages. The goons all were led into the back of flashing police cruisers rather roughly.

Nick stood next to Ellis apologizing repeatedly with whispered words and sincere kisses.  
"Ni-okay-Nick!" The gambler had just begun a whole new string of 'sorrys' and more trails of embarrassingly public display of kisses. His face couldn't take more heat and his blush was vividly red. "Its fine! Ah'm all right an' this whole thing is over. So stop worryin'." The bright blue eyes only lit up more as he chuckled off the day's passing events.

Nick smiled. "All right. I was just so pissed. Today was supposed to go all romantic and shit, but it all went to hell." He ended the sentence as his face contorted a frown.

"Excuse me?" A rumbling and contradicting smooth voice came from behind the couple. Ellis turned his head, the gurney he was lying on was extremely uncomfortable, but the paramedics would have none of it.

He jolted into a sitting position holding out his hand for Bruce to shake. "Oh man your-your Bruce Wayne! Ah shit, I mean…oh man oh man! Hi! Ah-Ah'm Ellis an' an' oh man…oh man!" The boy was having trouble holding his composure. Nick glared knifelike eyes at the playboy. Bruce's eyes were on Ellis' flustered face though.

He laughed clearly tickled by the boy. He looked up at nick, meeting his intense sight. Bruce only offered an apologetic smile, but no words were exchanged to make the expression tenable. "I came here to thank you for all you did. You both are heroes and I would like to invite you two to my charity gambling ball tonight. I came to get an extra dealer for a table, but I guess that I might have to go to another casino due to the circumstances." Bruce's bleached teeth were unveiled in a toothy smile.

Nick snorted at the invitation. "No thanks, if you hadn't taken your damn time then he wouldn't have gotten fucking poisoned." He said invidiously. Ellis gave Nick an angry pout then turned back to the billionaire nervously.

Bruce's nostrils splayed, but he didn't appear too upset. "Yes, well I was only _one man_," he turned back to Ellis his look mollifying. "…would you like to come tonight?"

El didn't give Nick time to interject, feverishly nodding in agreement. "That would be amazin'! Thank ya kindly sir!" Ellis grabbed Mr. Wayne's hand and shook it with a great amount of energy. Again Bruce snickered at the boy, while Nick grit his teeth together.

"I will be thrilled to see you there." He pointed the comment toward Ellis more than Nick, but he still had enough largesse to give the gambler an unbiased look. He gave El a firm handshake and walked off to a waiting Rolls Royce.

Nick's eye rolled in an unmasked annoyed manner. "You all ready, sport?" Nick gripped his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. The bright eyes boy gave him a full lipped smile and nodded. "This is gunna be so much fun! Ah cant wait ta tell the guys 'bout this!"

The hoard of reporters and cameras were like insatiable zombies, tearing and scrabbling for their attention and quotes. Ellis was about to answer a reporter's question about the night, but felt Nick pull him toward the car awkwardly tripping as he was dragged.

The two dashing men had arrived at Bruce's pent house 'fashionably late' as Nick put it. They were greeted at the door by his famous butler, Alfred. Ellis had taken a liking the sweet old man and for the most of the party had spoken to him or Nick.

Bruce was too busy dazzling woman and business or important men to even say a polite hello. The place was chockfull of crowds and handfuls of people. Some tasted wine while others were at the buffet. However it grew apparent that everyone would fight off the skin of their teeth to just say one word to the billionaire.

Ellis and Nick though stuck together as always and spoke to some guests that had properly introduced themselves first.

Nick's eyes wondered though to the gorgeous women in sparkling outfits that enunciated their curves or created a supple figure to their delicate form. Their makeup caked faces were highlighted in flashes of cameras and the light from the chandeliers. They winked at him or shrugged their shoulders to show off their jutting bones in a flirty fashion.

He scoffed to himself. Did they honestly think that he would give up this model for a one-night sleaze? He looked at Ellis the same way he did earlier during the day. He looked even more magnificent and beautiful in the sprinkled washes of light.

The light grey suit he had worn was slender at the waist and just fitted around his hips. The matching slacks on the boy were smooth and cleanly cut, made him even more complete. The contrasting grey only made the blue in his eyes even more scrumptiously vibrant. Now he looked good, really good, but the thing that really topped it all off?

His hair. The curly blonde hair was slicked back effortlessly. It wasn't over gelled at all. It looked naturally silky and golden, curved at the scalp, but twirling in buttery curls at the base of his neck. He looked good enough to eat. And if people weren't watching, Nick would have devoured him.

The oblivious young one was currently speaking to the butler, and surprisingly the butler was replying to his giddy banter with a warm smile and an enthusiastic expression. Nick stood ten feet away from them, his back against a wall and arms obstinately crossed. His face was plain and he just looked at passing people with disinterest. Except for the boy.

He moved silently, his steps light, he didn't want Ellis to hear him approaching. The butler caught his eyes and nodded knowingly. He said a lingering few words to Ellis and walked off to do some other chores.

He felt the southerner jump when his arms wrapped around his torso. He chuckled on top of his puffs of hair. "Easy there fireball."

Ellis' smile only grew at the nickname. He turned his body and wrapped his arms around Nick;s neck. "Well hello there mister gamblin' man." His voice was teasingly sweet.

Nick smirked down at him and Ellis felt his heart jump. "I don't think I told you how amazing you look tonight." The music was a soft jazz, but they swayed together in rhythm to the saxophone.

"Nah, ah don't think ya did." El shook his head playfully. Nick retorted by craning his neck to capture his waiting lips. Only to pull away urgently as a loud and earsplitting gunshot ring through their ears. They're hearts were pumping adrenalin through their bodies instinctively causing Nick to grab Ellis tightly and start to run toward the exit.

Nick heard the iron click of a gun cocking behind his back. The room went silent and all eyes were on the man holding the gun.

"You, uh, sure you two want to do that?" Nick had those words engraved into his head with the same chillingly vibrated tone hemming with the troubling words.

Nick turned his body and stood in front of Ellis with a face made of stone, looking hatefully to the painted man's face. Next to him was a larger man in a clown mask had a cocked rifle aimed at them.

The news reports made Joker seem a lot older than he really was. And unquestionably less intimidating than he really is. It felt so unreal-like to actually be in the Joker's presence almost as if the whole event was a nightmare.

Ellis' hand was clamped tightly on his arm desperately trying to move from behind the white suited man. Nick held his side behind him keeping him still. He could even feel the boy's heart beating and the pained look with out even turning around.

The harlequin took a couple steps forward. Nick tensed his grip on Ellis' side, praying that the boy wouldn't say anything or move.

"What do we have hiding back here?" Joker leaned to the side while still standing in place. The threateningly insane eyes caught El's innocent ones in their view. Joker's manic grin and serated cuts ripped up even more of his face in a recognizing gesture.

"You're the, uh kid who ruined Scary's plans. Well isn't that a coincidence!" His laugh was even more terrifying than the gun shots.

Nick growled in the pit of his throat. "Yeah, so you know we had a shitty day. So please piss off assclown."

Everyone stared at Nick, including all of Joker's men and the Clown Prince himself.

"Nick…" Ellis squeaked out abrasively pinching his arm. His whole body started to quiver and sweat was starting to pool at the back of his neck. The dread of knowing only in a few seconds Nick was going to just be in ribbons was dampening his mind and fogging his rational thoughts.

They waited for eternity until Joker's smile gave 'malicious' a whole new meaning. "Well I owe Scary for helping me out of the loony bin, so I guess I'll _kill_two birds with one stone." The word was slowly mouthed. It made Ellis freeze like his blood, just so his body could lose all color, then start shuddering even worst than before.

He pulled out and flipped open a switchblade dancing it in between his fingers. Only inches away from Nick's face when Ellis could feel his whole world breaking piece by piece, someone painfully grabbed the boy's shirt and pulled him away from the suited man. He let out a loud yelp and was thrown into Joker's arms, Nick was now being held in a cumbersome man's frame painfully trying to reach out.

"NO! DON'T YOU FUCKING HURT HIM!" His shout was echoed off the silent room along with the cackling of Joker. Ellis struggled and whined in Joker's arms, the knife at his neck making it impossible to be fully mobile.

Joker's wide mouth grin never fell even as he spoke. "Don't worry about him, we're just going for a nice trip-"

A black blur knocked three of the masked men to the ground, each having a bruising shape on their heads in the form of a fist. The guard holding Nick was wrenched away and tackled to the floor, the man screaming the every time a fist indented to his face.

A gunshot froze all the people in the room, everyone turned quickly to the source.

"Batsy you always get the attention!" Joker wined childishly. Batman's eyes narrowed at Joker treacherously. Joker stepped back, his eyes flicking to the window behind him.

His grin made Nick's heart drop to his gut.

Batman tried to make his move, his eyes never once leaving Joker's. In response Joker shot the window behind him, it's shattered glass fell down to the street, thirty flights below.

"Ah ah ah. Now we wouldn't want this pretty face all over the pavement now, right Bats?" Ellis' breath hitched into his throat. "L-let me go!" Joker's eyes lit up darkly.

"Well look at that. He's a sweet innocent country boy! Looks like you're my insurance today." Joker ran the cool tip of the knife down his face.

Nick stopped his inhale mid-breath.

Joker was moving backwards; the wind from the broken window was flapping his lapels all about.

Batman saw this, he didn't move from his place, but Joker and everyone else in the room could see the pleading words underneath his eyes.

They were so close outside that if they took one more step back they would be walking on air. The psychotic clown held Nick's lover out the window with one hand on his collar. El stopped flailing around, instead looking apologetically at Nick.

Nick's chest tightened when he saw the cerulean eyes cast down to the slanted roof below, leading to the speeding cars underneath.

"Joker. Let him go." It was the first time the Bat had spoken or even made any sound at all that night. Nick watched his throat clenched to keep himself from calling out and his stance stiff to keep himself still.

"Poor choice of words."

The purple leather glove released the grey suit's collar and El was now sliding stomach first on the tilted roof, quickly descending to the ledge.

His bellow was hollering and loud. He looked behind him counting the milliseconds of sweet ground underneath him until there would only be air.

His screams blocked out the sound of another body hitting the roof until he had felt something grab his arms. He didn't have time to see who.

They were now plummeting down Wayne tower.

His cries only became more loud and frantic; the wind had stung his face as it whipped the skin that was showing. He felt the arm that grabbed him pull him into a hard body, it reminded him of solid ground.

They were spinning one hundred eighty degrees in mid air. His heart was pounding at alarming speed.

They hit a car, the glass and metal indenting and breaking as they disembarked. El was the only one of the two to be panting and hyperventilating from the whole fall. Batman only took slow deep breaths, concentrating on the rout of the air through his body.

The southerner took in on last breath and finally had his inhaling and exhaling evened out. Without even knowing what he was doing he groaned and rolled on his side, letting his head rest on the Kevlar covered chest.

The same gloved hand that had saved him wrapped around his shoulders. In a comforting way.

"Th-thank ya." It took a lot out of him to breath the words out.

The doors to the building busted open and a man in a white suit came racing out. "EL!" He shouted happily when he saw the boy being helped out off of the car.

Nick sprinted to him as fast as he could. Ellis absolutely beamed at the sight of his partner.

_SMACK_

Ellis held his face delicately. Nick had just slapped him. He actually just slapped him.

Nick's lips covered his mouth too fast to let him ask why he had just been hit. His hands lifted from his own face to tie them around Nick's neck and dangle lazily.

The gambler started nipping lightly at his lower lip. "Don't ever…suggest coming here again."

Ellis pouted adorably so. It quickly turned into a smugly endearing smirk.

"Lets jus' see Keith top bein' saved bah Batman!"


End file.
